Gold Wing Road Riders Association Maryland/Delaware District Newsletter

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1 G O L D W I N G R O A D R I D E R S A S S O C I A T I O N M A R Y L A N D / D E L A W A R E D I S T R I C T S T A F F D I R E C T O R S B R U C E H I L L & R E G I N A S M I T H (MD- B)E M A I L : B R U C E. H I L L V E R I Z O N. N E T R E G G I E S M I T H G M A I L. C O M A S S T D I S T R I C T D I R E C T O R S K e n n e t h & D e i d r e T r a s s ( M D - B) t r a s s 5 g c o m c a s t. n e t D a n n y & P a u l e t t e H o r t o n ( M D - L) c a n d y o r a n g e 1 g m a i l, c o m EDUCATORS Al General & Jackie Bond (MD-J) anjfoto@gmail.com ASSISTANT EDUCATOR Jeff McCarter mccarter@4-shore.net TREASURER Terry Gardner (MD-J) a90098@verizon.net COUPLE OF YEAR COORDINATOR LOGISTICS COORDINATOR Lillian Cruz (MD-B) Lillian.Cruz-Bradford@comcast.net UNIVERSITY COORDINATORS Bob & Julie A Hearn (MD-I) rahearn914@aol.com MEMBERSHIP ENHANCEMENT COORD. Keith & Wanda Johnson (MD-I ) keith@md.metrocast.com NEWSLETTER EDITOR Cathy Kelley (MD-H) cathykelley49@gmail.com MOTORIST AWARENESS COORD. Bill Little (MD-I) anjfoto@gmail.com VISITATION COORDINATOR Sue Miller (MD-H) ladybluesuemiller@gmail.com WEBMASTER Doug Walmsley (MD-I) doug@gwrramdi.org EVENTS COORDINATOR Allen & Gwen Willingham (MD-J) hawillingham@verizon.net AMBASSADORS Hampton & Sharon Conway (MD-B) ummhamp@yahoo.com TRAVEL COORDINATOR Steve Kelley (MD-H) stevekelley@gottogotravel.net Gold Wing Road Riders Association Maryland/Delaware District Newsletter V V O L U M E 3 7, I S S U E 1 4 April 2018 District Directors, Bruce Hill & Regina Smith Well, spring has officially arrived and with it came 14 inches of snow in some of our areas. But the days are getting longer and a little warmer day by day.( So they say) That can only mean one thing it s time to take a ride. Where to you ask? Thanks for asking the correct answer to that is anywhere and everywhere, anytime. I can think of couple of things coming up in the very near future; On Saturday, April 7th, Chapter I have a Pancake Breakfast starting at 9:00am at the Temple Hills Elks lodge, in Temple Hills, MD. Also, on Saturday, April 21st, Chapter H will have their 21 st Annual Spaghetti Dinner & Bingo. This year they are in a new location, at the JOPPA Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company. Doors open 2:00pm, dinner at 2pm and bingo start at 3pm. Seating is limited so coming early. We want to thank everyone for your support of Chapter J s gathering and breakfast before the District Bowl-A-Thon and the Bowl-A-Thon itself. While we are handing out That-a-boys, let us not forget Ray and Cheryl Hartman for organizing and running the event. Good Job! The District Directors have been reminded by National of something we have run into in our District, and have spoken with some of you about it. When an Officer steps forward and the Appointing Officer fills out the Officer Change and Appointment form, are you aware that the term for that office is one year? All of our Officer terms are for a year at a time and they are renewed for another year after a review from the Appointing Officer. Here is the problem: That means when we fill out the paperwork, we have to be certain that the membership expiration date of the Officer is the same length, or longer, than the term of office. If an officer is appointed on January 1, then that officer s membership needs to go to at least January 1 of the next year. Since our appointments are done at WinterThing in January our officers expiration dates need to be January or later. If they expire before then, their paperwork cannot be processed until they renew their membership to cover their term of office. BIKE & AUTO TAG COORDINATOR WINTERTHING COORDINATOR Ray Hartman (MD-I) racingnwinging@msn.com

2 Upcoming events to look for and mark your calendar: April 7th - Chapter I s Pancake Breakfast, Temple Hills, MD April 21st - Chapter H s Spaghetti Dinner & Bingo, Joppa, MD April 26th -28th - New Jersey District Rally, North Wildwood, NJ May 5th - Chapter B s Fun Day, Temple Hills, MD May 6th - Chapter B s Bike Blessing and Dinner Ride, Beltsville, MD May 17th - Pennsylvania District Rally, Uniontown, PA June 28 th -30 th Rally in the Valley, Roanoke, VA ASSISTANT DISTRICT DIRECTORS. Kenneth & Deidre Trass Hello Maryland and Delaware District! We hope everyone made it through the wacky weather! Riding weather is taking a long time getting here, that Punxsutawney Phil really missed the mark this year. (smile) March is Women s History Month and we encourage everyone, who doesn t know already, to read up on the history of the first women motorcyclists. There is Effie Hotchkiss and her mother, Avis, who in 1915 on a whim decided to visit the Panama-Pacific Exposition and traveled from Brooklyn, NY to San Francisco. Avis was in a sidecar for the entire roundtrip ride, nine thousand miles. The sisters, Adeline and Augusta van Buren, were the first women to ride solo motorcycles across the United States. They also traveled from New York to San Francisco. They were inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in We are already putting together the summer riding schedule with Wing rallies, family visits, and vacations. Kenneth is even talking about riding out to a food festival, The Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California. No kissing after that visit! Friends and family, around the country, are often amazed at the mileage Kenneth puts in, at the same time they enjoy the drop-in visits. We want to encourage more riding, so if your chapter is planning a ride that has some interesting stops, share them with other chapters. April and May are busy months in the District. April kicks off with MD-I s Pancake Breakfast at the Elks Lodge in Temple Hills on the 7 th. DE-B is hosting a Road Captain course the very next day at the DMV in Georgetown, DE. Two weeks later, April 21, it is the MD-H Spaghetti Bingo at a new location in Joppa. MD-B is providing opportunities over the next two weeks, April s last Saturday they are rolling to Philly to try some cheesesteaks. May opens with MD-B Fun Day at the Elks Lodge in Temple Hills on the first Saturday followed with a Bike Blessing Service on Sunday at the Queen s Chapel United Methodist Church in Beltsville. MD-F closes out the month hosting an Advance Riders Course (ARC) in Hagerstown the third Saturday, it s a two training event. GO GO MD-DE! Make sure you are ready for this activity by giving your bike a good once over. Kenneth and I recommend starting the year using the old T-CLOCK form to inspect your bike. It s a pain in the rear end to do but it definitely is a great guide when bringing your Wing, Hog, VTX, Can-Am or whatever you ride out of its winter rest. Even folks like us who ride year round should do it once a year. It helps you become more intimate with your bike. Remember RIDE AWARE. Enjoy the spring weather and we ll see you out on the open road!

3 ASSISTANT DISTRICT DIRECTORS. Danny & Paulette Horton Paulette and I are enjoying our newest position as your Asst. District Directors. One of our challenges is to bring FUN to the front of all we do. During our visits (and anytime you want) share with us what you would like to see changed or incorporated in your gatherings or in general. If you are thinking events are getting stale, share that with us. Perhaps together we can come up with some fresh ideas to make them more fun. What could we do to entice you to share your rides and experiences at your gatherings? Could your chapter directors call on each person to speak about this? When you go on rides, what is the distance you are comfortable with? You, our members, are what is important, and we as your district need your help to make a difference. Many of you have family memberships with several people, they are members and we would like to see all attend our functions. I bet you don t even tell them what is going on, shame on you not sharing your fun with your family. As you should know GWRRA is open to everyone whether they ride, walk, drive or are escorted to our functions, so let s get on the ball and bring them out. Dedicated to our motto Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge GWRRA members enjoy the freedom of belonging to a not-for-profit, non-religious and non-political organization. The business of the chapters has been reduced to making fun the forefront of the gatherings, so make it happen! We look forward to our next visit with you. Danny & Paulette Horton Asst. D.D., Chapter COY, Road Captain, Ride Coordinator, Chapter Treasurer, and your FRIENDS. Captain Of Fun! Chapter Directors, do not forget your snapshot report, due to Bruce on the 18th of the month. The form and instructions can be found on the district website:

4 Rider Education By Jeff McCarter Spring Tune Up Motorcycles are meant to be ridden and no matter how well you put it up for the winter it will require some extra attention after sitting idle for a long time such as in the spring. Those that are not able to do their own maintenance should use a qualified shop to do a thorough check up. If you do your own maintenance or you just want to be able to ask your mechanic a list of items to see if he did them, to keep him on his toes, read on Begin with looking under your machine before you move it from storage, any leaks evident? Now the work begins, use the new GWRRA N17 Vehicle inspection sheet to track items as you go. Can t say enough about inspecting your tires visually over their entire surface on a regular basis. Look for cuts, cords showing, and other surface imperfections, inspect the tread depth, the wear indicators can help you decide if the depth is adequate. That back tire is mostly hidden, use the center stand and get down there to inspect. Get the pressures corrected while you are there. While on the center stand give your side stand a look over, including the safety switches if you have them on your stand. All your controls should be checked. Inspect fluids in clutch and brake reservoirs, do the switches for brake and cruise control activate at the proper points. Does the throttle snap back when released and are the cables adjusted correctly? Inspect all cables especially where they rub against other objects for wear and lubricate if necessary. Turn the handlebars and watch your cables for any that may bind and verify the steering bearings are good. Operate all the controls for lights and verify working properly. I use a rope to activate my handlebar brake, if I don t have help, and verify if all brake lights work. Check all the fluids, make sure you do this by the method the manufacture says to do it, you may need to warm up the engine first to check the oil for instance. Check the suspension. Inspect that the brake hoses move freely if you bounce your suspension. Inspect the frame to the best of your ability, especially if you trailer with you bike. Consider perhaps removing as much plastic as you can and get on eye on hidden locations, especially welds. You can go as far as you wish in your spring check, I know one friend who found a mouse nest in his air cleaner, expect the unexpected. Next your bike needs to have all that dust cleaned off, use this cleaning to pull and tug on parts and verify fasteners are all nice and tight while you go over all the surfaces. This is often the time I find problems before they become bad, is while cleaning. Pull your gear out. Helmet liners usually unclip, and you can wash them and inspect them. Also find the manufacture date stamp in your helmet, is it time to replace it due to age? The rest of your gear, check the zippers, fasteners, etc. and if that rain gear hasn t been out in a while give it a look over, spring is known for showers. Your safety may depend on this gear, replace or upgrade anything you deem necessary. When purchasing research the safety rating method on the items and try to buy items in bright colors if possible. Now one more item to get ready for the season, YOU. Your skills diminish without use, so gear up and take your bike out to a safe location and practice quick stops, swerving, and slow maneuvers. This will also verify your bike is up to the task.

5 District University Coordinators Bob & Julie A Hearn Welcome to April 2018 and Happy Easter! There were a few MD-DE events last month. We enjoyed the District Dinner at Sakura s. It was a way for the MD-DE District to thank the restaurant for all their support during Winter Thing, and throughout the years. It was well attended by many Chapters in the District, and everyone enjoyed the night. We hope to see more District Dinners in the future. We also attended the District Bowl-A-Thon after visiting Chapter J s Gathering. Of course, there s no visit to the Bowl-A-Thon without a stop at Harbor Freight, or Tuesday Morning for the Ladies. A few events for this month include our home Chapter s MD-I Fund Raiser on Saturday April 7 th at the Elks Lodge, and Chapter H s Spaghetti Bingo, now at a new location for this year, on Saturday April 21 st. Also, this month, a few of us will be attending the New Jersey District Rally. The New Jersey District rally will be at the Matador Oceanfront Resort April 26 th to April 28 th. The resort is located at 511 E 16 th Ave, North Wildwood, NJ It s located on the Boardwalk facing the Ocean. Call the hotel for reservations at and ask for the GWRRA NJ Rally Rate of $89.95 for Ocean View, and $79.95 for non-ocean view. Next month, our Chapter is hosting a ride to the Blue Ridge Mountains over the Memorial Day Weekend, and we want to expand the invitation to all chapters in the District. The Peaks of Otter Hotel, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, will be our base of operations between events in Roanoke and Bedford VA. Planned events include; the Festival in the Park, D-Day Memorial, Star Overlook, Homeplace Restaurant, the Homestead Creamery, Peaks of Otter Winery, and Chateau Monisette. There are some other less expensive hotel choices located in the area between Roanoke VA and Bedford VA. A few examples, located only a mile from the Peaks of Otter Hotel include a Days Inn at $57 a night, and a Super 8 at $85 a night. All rides will be briefed in the morning, at the Peaks of Otter Restaurant during breakfast. The best part of the weekend you can join in all or just a few rides and visits, or you can just enjoy the weekend relaxing in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The choice is yours. We will be departing from the King George Wawa, Friday May 25 th at 9 A.M. Please contact us for more details and check out the flyer in this newsletter.

6 MD-DE District Trainer Updates: As mentioned last month, we are planning on quarterly District Training Events for the remining of the year. Winter Thing counted as the 1 st quarter training, and we are working with Al General and the District Directors for future quarterly training opportunities. Chapter Directors, let us know what your needs or desires are for the year. All training classes count towards our goal. Here s some training information from Clara Bolt, Director of the University. This can be seen in the monthly Insight Newsletter from February The questions about seminars, modules, and classes have several origins, but usually come from questions asked by our Trainers and Instructors. A University Trainer (UTREP) had asked for clarification as to which classes he was qualified to teach as a University Trainer in Rider Education. Tim Grimes, Director of Rider Education, answered his question; As part of the new University structure, once an existing Seminar has been converted and approved as a Training Module, the old Seminar is removed from the authorized list. This removal means that the old Seminar can no longer be presented. Successful graduates of the ITCP are authorized to present the new Training Modules as well as the remaining old Seminars. As a UTREP, you can still present the following Seminars: Co-Rider; Motorcycling for the Mature Rider; Motorcycle Crash Scene Response; Team Riding; High Side Scenarios; Running Mountains, Hills & Curves; Trailering Seminar; Road Captain Course. Clara continued, Instructor/Trainers, as well as Members, are responsible for maintaining their Levels. So, it becomes even more important that the classes needed to maintain your Levels be made available and part of your plans for Quarterly and other Training Events. Including those classes benefits both the Members and the Instructors/Trainers. All permitted classes, Seminars, and Training Modules are available on the GWRRA University website. Before you present a class, you have stored on a flash or thumb drive, check the website for the most current listing. Classes are being revised and/or removed regularly. If the class is no longer listed on the GWRRA University website, it can no longer be presented. The University also requires that all University Trainers, University Instructors, and University Instructor Trainers remain current in their Levels. Training Modules are written to be conducted in 90 minutes. Seminars require 60 minutes. In preparing for presentations, remember that an hour of preparation is suggested for each minute of presentation. Allow your Trainers/Instructors plenty of notice to give them time to prepare. Robert & Julie A Hearn MD-DE District University Coordinators MD-I Assistant Chapter Directors MD-I Membership Enhancement Coordinators

7 FROM RAY HARTMAN. Organizational Plates MVA one time Fee: With our new Logo Plates. $ Eligible Vehicles: Passenger Cars. Multi-purpose Vehicles. Motorcycles. Trucks (10,000 lbs. or less ). Applications for organizational plates can only be obtained from our membership organization thru Ray Hartman - racingnwinging@msn.com We are hoping to get the letters GWR or GWA (this will be confirmed this week) and starting We need 25 new applications for either or both the cars or bikes to proceed. Once I get close to the first 25, I will then collect the fees and proceed with turning in the first batch. Please contact me with your interest in either the car or bike tags. We are hoping that the old version tags will be replaced with these new logo version now that you can get the lower numbers. NEW IDEA FOR FUNDRAISERS. Good morning Gold Wing Road Riders Association, IHOP is now available for Gold Wing Road Riders Association restaurant fundraisers. During March, April and May, Gold Wing Road Riders Association members and supporters can host fundraisers at IHOP who will donate 15% of sales back to Gold Wing Road Riders Association! Simply choose a date and schedule your fundraiser in 5 minutes. You can select up to 3 dates for the coming months. View Available Dates for IHOP I hope this is a helpful and fun way to raise funds and spread awareness for Gold Wing Road Riders Association in your community! Bridget Letts IHOP GroupRaise The most delicious way to change the world

8 FROM OUR DISTRICT COUPLE OF THE YEAR. LINDA & STEVE NORBREY Hello Maryland/Delaware District. Again, we would like to thank all of our GWRRA Family that were involved with encouraging and standing with us as we participated in the COY program. Linda and I have been married for 18 years. We have seven children, 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. I am a DC native and served on active duty in the US Air Force for eight years. I then enlisted and served 18 years in the DC Air National Guard and retired in I worked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at the North Philadelphia Tower, Washington Air Route Control Center and retired in 2011 from FAA Headquarters in Washington DC. After retirement Steve I attended Liberty University in Lynchburg Virginia and received a degree in Theology in I currently serve as a Deacon at Grace Baptist Church, Minister of the church s Bible study and as a Minister at a local retirement home. Linda is a little people lover who has spent 21 years of her life in childcare. After her children started school she drove public transit buses and became a supervisor and eventually Bus Trainer for the Fairfax Connector in Fairfax, Virginia. While there she trained drivers to get their commercial license and was authorized to conduct the CDL test for the state of Virginia and the District of Columbia. We love to travel, whether it s on two wheels, four wheels or no wheels (flying or boating). I started riding at age 18 on a Honda 90 that I rented while attending RADAR School in Biloxi MS and have owned several motorcycles. I purchased a 2004 Gold Wing in September 2003 and then joined GWRRA. We have been members of Maryland Chapter I since October Our position as Couple of the Year (COY) is the first staff position that we have held since joining. I have served as a University Trainer (UT) and enjoy teaching classes. We adhere to the GWRRA philosophy of sharing their knowledge with others while making friends wherever they go, while doing this safely. We look forward to serving the District as the Couple of the year.

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12 Photos from District Bowl-a-Thon - Thanks to Al General & Jackie Bond!